Set your story during the night shift.

Posted in Dark on Oct 25, 2022

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✍️ 56 stories

“She Picked Me” by Noelle C. Lee

She Picked Me 1974. New York City.The East River and the hospital flank the highway. There is a small tunnel that goes under an apartment building just south of the hospital alongside the river. The roar of the engines inside the tunnel was unnerving and ominous. The wind off the tires of the vehicles moving quickly was chilling, dangerous. Debris flew into my eyes which makes crossing the road very forbidding. When it was snowing or raining, the tunnel provided shelter but there was no room for err...

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“Night Spot” by Evan Jackson

The world is a different place when the sun goes down. Certain creatures are exclusively nocturnal. Especially some species of humans. The freaks, as they have been so aptly named. I guess you could say that I am of the freakish persuasion myself. Why else would I always be working at night? For all of its chaos. I actually find the night to be more peaceful than the day. Or perhaps I just feel more like myself under the...

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“The Brave Laundry Lady” by Moira Covington

The night laundry shift at the hotel was a comfort that I have not been able to replicate. The dryers weren’t started until an hour after I clocked in, but the white noise was always welcomed and eagerly anticipated. I didn’t blot out the monotony, I didn’t try to smooth the routine with music, smoke breaks, or a cell phone. I never watched a movie on the rolling cart or read or did crossword puzzles. I was there every ...

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“The Johns, The Car and The Coke” by Coltrane Rogers

Casey had learnt to take Benzodiazepines before the night’s work and painkillers when she was done, finish a cigarette between rounds and leave her necklaces at home. The johns – the clients – could get dangerous; they never stole, but when they were red hot, they’d grab hold of anything to choke you and watch you turn a shade darker. Most of the clients were lonely. Some were into different things that they couldn’t get away with doing to their wives or girlfriends. A client o...

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“Doing the Night Shift” by John Steckley

Every weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, I do the night shift – from midnight to eight o’clock in the morning. It would perhaps be more accurate to say I do the graveyard shift. This is not of the scary Stephen King type with lots of rats and a big voracious creature. I am working in an actual graveyard. There’s not much real work to it, patrolling the grounds, cutting the lawn with a motorless pus...

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“Dave and the Monster” by Clyde Laffan

For optimum health and well-being, scientists agreed, after much discussion and a little trial and error, that the Monster should be fed nine pounds of meat every two hours. Many years ago, studies revealed the Monster to be a strict carnivore with a high metabolic rate and small stomach. Many terrestrial animals share similar traits. Take vultures, for example. They, too, are carnivores with fast metabolisms and tiny stomachs. However, birds of prey consume meat in various g...

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“Night Shift” by L Mack

‘Ricardo! Double scotch.’Richard waited for his face to neutralize before turning round.‘No problem, Mr Collins.’‘Good guy.’He poured the drink carefully and passed it over. Collins took a long, theatrical sip and slammed the glass down. He loosened his tie and settled into the bar stool with a sigh.‘It’ll go on my tab, right?’‘As usual, Mr Collins.’ As least it was somebody else’s problem to make sure he paid the tab.Did nobody else need a drink at 3am? The lobby was lifeless except for th...

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“5 Yen Coin” by Jihan Qanita

It was 10 o'clock in the evening. The night sky was moonless with the clouds covering the stars. In a quiet neighborhood, stood the only place emitting lights from its inside. A 24-hour convenience store. Behind the counter, a young man played with his phone by himself. His name was displayed on the plate by his chest, but people usually just called him Shin. He was a college student....

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“The baker” by Vanessa Marczan

The last trains emptied the city of daytrippers and office dwellers as Chris unlocked the door. The cafe was tucked in an alleyway between towers of glass and steel. He walked into the gloom, past stacked chairs, tables, the counter, the coffee machine - an engine all shiny and fawned over. He squeezed into the kitchen, the heart, deeper to the womb. Clad in his apron, hands washed, Chris gathered bowls, flour, butter, eggs, water, rolling pin. The oven growled to life greeting the long night. Like a warlock, he performed th...

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“Nightshift in the garden of Eden” by F.O. Morier

Most days I´m an early riser. I wake up earlier than everybody else. If the sun is out, I will just lay in bed a little longer, gazing at those rays of light. It was different over there. The night shift starts after the sun has set. Still, I woke up early, staring at the changing colors of the ceiling, from terra cotta to absolute dark. I wake earlier than everybody else, but I´m not ...

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“The Graveyard Shift” by Veronika Jordan

It’s not every day you stumble across a dead body. Actually, in my case it’s probably about once a week, but then I’m a vampire hunter so it’s my job. In this case, I literally stumbled across her. Tripped over her in the park where he’d left her and fell flat on my face. I say he because they usually are - the vampires not the victims. She was so pale with no visible injuries apart from the tell-tale two red ma...

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“Keep The Change ” by R.S. Louvierre

“Hello”, he greeted the customer as they walked in. The customer was a gorgeous woman with tan skin and auburn hair. Adam, as printed in black, bold letters on his nametag, could not help but watch as she walked towards the Pepsi cooler door. She was wearing tightly pressed blue jeans, a blue collar shirt that hugged her bosom, and a pair of all gray Vans on her feet. It was 9:30 in the evening, and his shift a...

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“Braiding Bonds” by Ben Connolly

The sky is patchy with sparse, moonlit clouds. The pavement, wet from showers earlier in the day, glistens with the reflections of orange lamps and the locks on bay doors shining either red or green. At two in the morning on a weeknight, most of the city is dormant; but on the outskirts, far from any residential grids or common businesses, the warehouse yards are alight and churning out their go...

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“Night Shift Reflections” by Lynn Matchett

Stillness. I have always felt this was my sixth sense. The world is a loud open space. Spaces filled with people talking and eating, driving and honking. Spaces filled with dogs barking, fans cheering and radios blasting. The everyday life of a normal person is cluttered with constant noise starting with the wake-up alarm and then onto the daily news. News on the television, news on the phone and news on the car radio on...

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“Amaline” by Victoria The Pirate

I walked in to begin my night shift, peaceful.Outside, Garry, the place’s cat, was waiting for me. He started meowing happily when he saw me. Small moments like these reminded me of Bella. How she would always smile at the nice twinklings of life. I guess I was the only one who cared about Garry here. The others wanted him to get away, but he had already adopted the place. He knew he should stay outside, though.My reflection on the glass door was looking at me. I looked calm, but I knew that it can dramatically a...

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Set your story during the night shift.

Submissions are closed

✍️ 56 stories

“She Picked Me” by Noelle C. Lee

“Night Spot” by Evan Jackson

“The Brave Laundry Lady” by Moira Covington

“The Johns, The Car and The Coke” by Coltrane Rogers

“Doing the Night Shift” by John Steckley

“Dave and the Monster” by Clyde Laffan

“Night Shift” by L Mack

“5 Yen Coin” by Jihan Qanita

“The baker” by Vanessa Marczan

“Nightshift in the garden of Eden” by F.O. Morier

“The Graveyard Shift” by Veronika Jordan

“Keep The Change ” by R.S. Louvierre

“Braiding Bonds” by Ben Connolly

“Night Shift Reflections” by Lynn Matchett

“Amaline” by Victoria The Pirate

🌟 Similar prompts

Write about a character who has landed their dream job, only to discover it isn’t quite what they imagined it to be.

Start your story with a character quitting their job, or getting fired.

Write about a character who leads a secret double life outside of their day job.

Your character sits down at their desk on a Monday morning and finds a completely unexpected email in their inbox. Write about what happens next.

Contest #109

Enter our weekly contest!

$250

Prize money

167

Contest entries

159

Stories

Win $250 in our short story competition 🏆

Tired of MS Word?

Explore more writing prompt ideas: